Post by markcameron on Sept 8, 2009 21:26:23 GMT -5
Hello Team Cameron,
I hope you all had a great three day weekend. I did; 20 miles of the bike, a few beers at the Irish Festival, smoking meat and pork on the patio and two trips to the hardware store. I don't know what I could add to complete the weekend.
I also owe a thank you to the Noon Optimist Club for their invitation to speak at their Thursday lunch. I started by telling them the story of my accident and what everyone did for me while I was away. Then I explained what I learned about donating your time and energies to those in need.
I told them about my efforts with the Persons with Disabilities Advisory Board and Push America and how volunteering on a committee is although very important their personal efforts could still be expanded. I let them know about the high percentage of elderly or disabled people in the Olathe and how one day a month could help.
I told them how they could start by looking up and down their street for someone that could use assistants. You may recall a couple of weeks ago when I got a committee of people together to help other neighbor. I would like to invite each of you to take a look up and down the street for someone that could use help terming trees or shrubs or cleaning gutters.
I wrote a post a few years ago about how I didn't want my accident to define me. I remember that I had met a guy who introduced himself with his accident date and condition. I watched him with surprise the rest of the evening that he continued to talk about his accident from so many years ago.
With that said, each year as my anniversary approaches people ask me if the date, September 11, has any additional meaning to me. Of course the obvious memory of 9-11 holds significant meaning for me too. As far as my accident sharing the same anniversary I don't think I hold any sort of feelings toward that day.
I have never heard in my circles anyone talk about what to call the anniversary day of their accidents. It's not celebrated by any means but it's also nothing to hide from, people will call me that day to see how I'm feeling. To be honest it doesn't feel any different than September the 10th.
Someone asked me last September what I was going to be doing on that day of my accident anniversary and I didn't know what to say. We jokingly came up with the idea of passing out cupcakes. This year I'm prepared.
I checked online and found that the fifth anniversary present is wood and silver. So Friday and I see you I won't be handing out cupcakes, they won't fit in my backpack. So short of giving everyone a cutting board or gravy ladle I think I will be passing out Tootsie Pops.
This week is the Olathe celebration of Old Settlers Day, it's the downtown street festival and the one time of year to get the infamous Grange Pups. I'm not certain but I think it's a hot dog wrapped in cornmeal and fried. Most people would call that a corn dog but if you talk to those select people that crave them you would think they were made with chocolate, MSG and crack cocaine. I only mean that lightheartedly in that you may hear people talk about Grange Pups and what length they would take to get one. I with guess it second only to the addictiveness to a Klond**e bar.
This Friday also marks the home opener in evening of Coach Flood his staff and team taking the field under the Friday Night Lights. Football season is here and last week the Eagles rolled over Leavenworth 71-6. I look forward to seeing more games like this over the coming weeks.
Thanks again for your support over the last five years and know I could've never done it without each of you. I hope you all have a great week. If you see me on Friday be sure to ask for a Tootsie Pop.
Love, Mark
I hope you all had a great three day weekend. I did; 20 miles of the bike, a few beers at the Irish Festival, smoking meat and pork on the patio and two trips to the hardware store. I don't know what I could add to complete the weekend.
I also owe a thank you to the Noon Optimist Club for their invitation to speak at their Thursday lunch. I started by telling them the story of my accident and what everyone did for me while I was away. Then I explained what I learned about donating your time and energies to those in need.
I told them about my efforts with the Persons with Disabilities Advisory Board and Push America and how volunteering on a committee is although very important their personal efforts could still be expanded. I let them know about the high percentage of elderly or disabled people in the Olathe and how one day a month could help.
I told them how they could start by looking up and down their street for someone that could use assistants. You may recall a couple of weeks ago when I got a committee of people together to help other neighbor. I would like to invite each of you to take a look up and down the street for someone that could use help terming trees or shrubs or cleaning gutters.
I wrote a post a few years ago about how I didn't want my accident to define me. I remember that I had met a guy who introduced himself with his accident date and condition. I watched him with surprise the rest of the evening that he continued to talk about his accident from so many years ago.
With that said, each year as my anniversary approaches people ask me if the date, September 11, has any additional meaning to me. Of course the obvious memory of 9-11 holds significant meaning for me too. As far as my accident sharing the same anniversary I don't think I hold any sort of feelings toward that day.
I have never heard in my circles anyone talk about what to call the anniversary day of their accidents. It's not celebrated by any means but it's also nothing to hide from, people will call me that day to see how I'm feeling. To be honest it doesn't feel any different than September the 10th.
Someone asked me last September what I was going to be doing on that day of my accident anniversary and I didn't know what to say. We jokingly came up with the idea of passing out cupcakes. This year I'm prepared.
I checked online and found that the fifth anniversary present is wood and silver. So Friday and I see you I won't be handing out cupcakes, they won't fit in my backpack. So short of giving everyone a cutting board or gravy ladle I think I will be passing out Tootsie Pops.
This week is the Olathe celebration of Old Settlers Day, it's the downtown street festival and the one time of year to get the infamous Grange Pups. I'm not certain but I think it's a hot dog wrapped in cornmeal and fried. Most people would call that a corn dog but if you talk to those select people that crave them you would think they were made with chocolate, MSG and crack cocaine. I only mean that lightheartedly in that you may hear people talk about Grange Pups and what length they would take to get one. I with guess it second only to the addictiveness to a Klond**e bar.
This Friday also marks the home opener in evening of Coach Flood his staff and team taking the field under the Friday Night Lights. Football season is here and last week the Eagles rolled over Leavenworth 71-6. I look forward to seeing more games like this over the coming weeks.
Thanks again for your support over the last five years and know I could've never done it without each of you. I hope you all have a great week. If you see me on Friday be sure to ask for a Tootsie Pop.
Love, Mark